Save You
by Ka-tay's mind
Summary: "You underestimated the strength of my team, your mistake." She said, nothing more, nothing less but those eyes of hers speak otherwise. "I'm not that helpless little girl you remember- that girl you want me to be. Not anymore." {POKE/CONTEST/OLDRIVAL/IKARI-SHIPPINGS later in story.} HIATUS.
1. Prologue

SAVE YOU

Prologue.

* * *

><p>Eridanous was a quiet region, unlike its neighbor region to the northeast and the south, being Hoenn and Johto respectively.<p>

The region was only as large as Fiore was, the capital being Atria City located spot on the middle of the whole place, surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of Eridanous. Rivers and streams crossed each other among the greenery of the city, making the place an easy combination of both Sinnoh's Crown City and Johto's Alto Mare.

Located a little off towards the northwest of the capital city was where the region's pristine beaches were located. The port was nearer to the city's outskirts, where passengers from the other regions would arrive at when they reached Capella City. To the east of Capella City, by the rocky terrain that reached high for the skies, Altair Town stood all its glory. The town was famous for its PokéRingers, the mountain-like terrain was no easy feat to brave but it was no harder than Mt. Coronet or even Mt. Silver.

Where the north was busy and harsh, the south was more serene in many ways.

Altar City was easily recognized as a more modernized version of Michina Town in Sinnoh and twice as large, making it about the size as Atria City. It was a peaceful getaway, not to mention its unofficial Contest Hall, where everyone could show off their skills once in a while.

Carrarosa Town was just west of Altar City, the quaint little town only smaller than Arrowroot Town in Sinnoh. And by the edge of town, the cream-coloured house that had a brown fencing which took up a large part of the area was what people would marvel at.

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><p><strong>30<strong>**th**** October X011**

**Arête's Residence, Carrarosa Town, Eridanous. **

The television was on, the announcer's commentary going off about the intense battle that had just passed by a few days ago. The calming scent of tea wafted around the cozy home, going past the large window near the kitchen towards the fields where a few Pokémon had poked their heads in to see the lady of the house hum a tune and turn off the kettle.

She turned around with the kettle in her hand, still humming as her graying hair bounced at her shoulders. Her warm eyes reminded the Pokémon of the hot chocolate their trainers would have when it was a rainy day when they were home. The lady smiled at the Pokémon, who all grinned back as they turned their attention back to the television broadcast on the 28th October in the Ever Grande Conference.

**(BROADCAST) **

**28****th**** October X011**

**Stadium C, Ever Grande City, Hoenn.**

"Folks, it seems that Kate from Carrarosa Town has gotten Jackson of New Bark Town into a corner! Kate still has two unused Pokémon and her Grovyle looks completely unaffected by Magneton's attacks whereas Jackson is down to one unused Pokémon and his Magneton is in bad shape! How will Jackson turn the tide?" The announced commented over the cheering of the spectators.

Among the roar of the crowd, Kate commanded silently, earning the briefest of nods from the loyal Wood Gecko Pokémon before it rushed forward in a green blur.

Brick Break hit its target as Magneton was knocked down while Grovyle leaped back, increasing the distance from his opponent.

"Magneton is unable to battle, Grovyle wins the match." The referee declared as the shiny Magneton fell.

"Ladies, gentlemen, children, and Pokémon, Jackson is down to his last Pokémon! Will he be able to pull this trick off or will he fall under the Top 8 of the Ever Grande Conference? Kate's Grovyle has taken out both Golduck and Magneton from Jackson's team, and it still seems to be in its best shape! And here is Jackson's final Pokémon, Azumarill- Kate has the type advantage here. Will this be a quick end?" The announcer's voice boomed over the arena.

The camera went to the New Bark Town resident, taking in his rigid form and how nervous he looked, he took a breath of relax himself which seemed to work. When the camera moved to Kate, the twelve year old stood with a sense of elegance, something not many kids her age were doing. Her long raven hair had been pulled into a ponytail, a few strands running free and framing her face.

The referee ordered the battle to begin.

Azumarill pulled the first move, rushing in for a Double Edge attack. Grovyle stood his ground, Kate's lips moving to order an attack.

"Double Edge never misses its target, so how will Grovyle take on this attack?" The announcer's voice boomed over the cheering of the spectators. "What is that? It would seem that Kate hasn't ordered Grovyle to do much- wait, look at that!"

Grovyle had dug its feet deep into the ground the moment Jackson had ordered the attack, and its hands were in front of him, preparing to _receive _the attack. Meanwhile, Kate had her lips pressed into a firm line and her hands clenched into fists.

As Azumarill hit Grovyle, the Grass type was pushed back greatly, but soon it had stopped the pushing from the attack and jumped high into the air. As it came back down, it raised its hands over its head and brought it down hard against Azumarill's soft skin. Grovyle leaped back, panting slightly as one of its knees gave way. The crowd was quiet and both Pokémon stood unmoving.

Seconds ticked by, and finally, Azumarill fell. The referee announced the results; the crowd went wild; Kate was hugging Grovyle and after that they made their way across the field to where Jackson was holding his Azumarill, the battlers shook hands.

"And Kate Arête of Carrarosa Town moves on to the next round! I have never seen a strategy like that before in all my years of commentary, and that is definitely a one of a kind move- the bond between trainer and Pokémon must be strong! That's it for today's battle folks, tomorrow we move to the Top 4 of the Ever Grande Conference!"

**(END BROADCAST) **

It was just in time when the soft chime of the doorbell sounded in the house, causing the lady to put placed her mug of coffee down. She stood up briskly and quickly made her way out the door and towards the path where the gated fence was, a few Pokémon following her steps.

She pushed the upper part of the fence open, coming face to face with a messenger and a handsome Dragonite. One look and she recognized the Psuedo-Legendary as Aero as well as Aero's trainer in the FLYEX Mail Company. She gave Aero a warm smile and got a grin in return before turning to the messenger, her hands carrying a medium sized parcel.

"Good morning, Ms. Louise. You've got a parcel that was demanded to be sent by FLYEX best flyer." Nadina beamed, a gloved hand stroking Aero's scales before passing the said parcel over. She reached back into a custom bag slung over Aero's shoulders and grabbed a file out. "I'll need you to sign here…and done. By the way, Kate's battle was amazing, the whole department was on their toes! Well, I've got to fly, most items to be delivered. See you, Ms. Louise!"

Louise chuckled, thanking Nadina as her own Sunflora helped her take the load. "Quick as always, aren't you, Nadina? Have a safe flight, both of you." She waved as the bronze skinned trainer climbed onto the Pokémon, gave the lady a playful salute and took off.

Turning to the side, she gave Sunflora a shrug. "Let's go see what's in that parcel, shall we?"

They decided to open it at the kitchen table, which had to be cleared for the delivery. After the wrapping paper was swiftly dealt with, Louise Arête stared dumbfounded at the contents of the box. There was an expensive looking wine-coloured scarf that was from LaRousse City. Picking up an envelope from the top of the scarf, she read its letter.

Dear mum,

I'm guessing you already saw from the news or tv that I'm in the Ever Grande Conference. If not, well, I'm in the Hoenn League. I've been travelling around for the past five months, just thinking and all that stuff. My team says 'hi'. They all miss you terribly.

I miss you too. I don't know when I'll be home, but I'll be back eventually.

Love you loads, mum.

-Kate.

P.S. hope you like the scarf. Don't worry, I bought it with my own hard earned money. Wear it so that you won't catch a cold.

It was a short note, but still a note, nonetheless. She didn't realize she had tears in her eyes until Sunflora placed a comforting leaf on her, a smile returning to her face as she draped the scarf around herself.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Sunflora?" She asked absentmindedly, but Sunflora nodded enthusiastically.

A small sigh escaped Louise Arête's lips, she shook her head but her lips had a small smile by the corner. "First note in her disappearance and she sends me something expensive, what am I to do with this family?" She laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>30th October X011<strong>

**Conference Room, Hoenn League Headquarters, Ever Grande City, Hoenn**

Night had settled onto the tropical region when a Charizard descended onto the grass right before the glass and metal structure of the Hoenn League Headquarters. The cool air barely fazed the Pokémon Ranger as he recalled Charizard after thanking it for a ride. A clerk that had seen his arrival quickly moved in and began to lead him past the sliding doors and down a series of twisting and turning hallways.

"This way, please." The clerk gestured beyond the door, ushering the sixteen year old into the room. He quietly followed, eyes widening slightly when he met the people inside.

He nodded in acknowledgement at four other people, each who returned the gesture. Turning to Scott, he could see the man with a Cheshire grin on his face. His eyes couldn't help but flicker towards the four Champions that had graced the room with their presence.

"Jake, great to see you again. Let's begin the discussion, shall we?" Scott announced.

* * *

><p><strong>31<strong>**st**** October X011**

**Clearing at the edge of the Forest, Ever Grande City, Hoenn **

Butterfrees were causing a riot in her stomach, swarming around and flipping the place upside down. She had hoped that the warm shower would wash away her nervousness, but seeing that it hadn't work, she gave up snuggling in her bed at the Pokémon Centre and left for a brisk walk.

It didn't calm her nerves at all.

Alpha nudged her upper arm, snapping her out of her trance.

She blinked once, and then once more before finally returning to her senses, the Butterfrees calming for just a moment. Her Grotle's gaze softened at the sight of his trainer, giving another nudge followed by a gentle grunt as encouragement. Unconsciously, her hand reached up and gave Alpha's head a pat, the same way she had done so since he was a baby Turtwig.

"The guys would be so annoyed at me, being all nervous like this. It definitely wasn't the way they wanted me to be. I'm pretty sure Jake would tell me to suck it up and get over it if he could see me now." Kate whispered softly tugging her jacket against her body. "Guess I should take that advice though, it's already midnight and I'm here worrying my head off."

The Grove Pokémon gave yet another grunt, definitely still worrying about the twelve year old. He nuzzled his jaw against his trainer's freezing hands, blowing out some air in his way of keeping her warm. When that didn't seem to work out very well, he shifted closer to his trainer's body, nudging at the PokéBalls on her belt.

Six blasts of white light emerged from the capturing devices, each emerging a different Pokémon.

Her Roselia, Ro, had immediately leaped her way onto Alpha's back, her sharp raven eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Flygon had landed beside Alpha, looking slightly drowsy. Grovyle and her Cyndaquil had slumped onto the ground, both startled from being woken up in that manner. Ria, her Riolu, hid a yawn behind her paw, moving closer to Cyndaquil for the warmth he emitted.

Kate shot her team a look of apology, sitting down to level their heights. "Midnight team pep talk," She mumbled while Cyndaquil climbed over her thigh and settled against her lap. The warm little furball was like a portable heater.

"I'm sorry for waking all of you, knowing that you guys will need your strength for the battle later today." She began slowly, swallowing the lump in her throat as her Pokémon formed a smaller semicircle around her, huddling together.

"This hasn't been easy, and you guys made it easier- thank you, all of you."

Coos and soft grunts acknowledged her thanks, a small voice wavered in her mind. "You've done just as much as we did, so we want to thank you too," Ria's melodic voice brushed against her mind, making the young girl smile.

"Well team, we didn't come this far to walk away without victory. Today we're making a name for ourselves." Kate smiled, turning her gaze to the sky and whispering a soft prayer to the constellation of Jirachi.

* * *

><p><strong>31st October X011<strong>

**Conference Room, Hoenn League Headquarters, Ever Grande City, Hoenn**

"The League has agreed for me to set up a new Battle Frontier on Eridanous, and I want the Arête's to be the Frontier Brains."


	2. 1- Impression

SAVE YOU

Chapter 1: Impression.

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><p>"<strong>10% luck, 20% skill, 15% concentrated power of will, 5% pleasure, 50% pain, and 100% reason to remember the name"<strong>

**-Remember the Name, Fort Minor.**

Here's an important life lesson: don't rely too much on other people, because even your shadow leaves you in the darkness. In spite of that, a certain degree of darkness is needed for the stars to shine. Maybe that was all you needed though; to escape from this harsh reality for a breather. And who knows? Maybe you need to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light.

Another thing: the first ones to help you up when you're down are the ones who know how it feels like to be beaten down.

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><p><strong>Sootopolis Gym, Sootopolis City, Hoenn. <strong>

**18 May X411.**

"Kingdra is unable to battle! Flygon wins, the challenger is the winner."

"That was the most marvelous battle I've had in a while, Kate! Congratulations, young lady, your Pokémon battle with such elegance. Have you ever considered partaking in Pokémon Contests?" Juan asked as he made his way over to the challenger's side of the battlefield, a smile stretched across his face.

"Amazing job there, Ace." The trainer stroked Flygon's neck gently as she murmured her thanks, earning a coo from the said Mystic Pokémon. "Thank you for that compliment, sir, but I've never even thought about joining a Pokémon Contest before. Battling has always been my priority." The girl replied smoothly to the Gym Leader.

"Ah, I understand." Juan frowned before his smile returned, "Now, I reward you with my gym's Rain Badge. Again, marvelous job, do come back and we can have a rematch again, mademoiselle." Juan said, holding out a small box that held the Rain Badge in all its glory, sitting nicely on the dark blue cushion.

"Will do sir, thank you!" The girl grinned before Flygon nudged her shoulder, urging her to leave the humid air that was irritating him.

When the glass doors of the Sootopolis Gym slid shut behind her, the teen kicked a leg over Flygon before the Ground/Dragon type took off towards the Pokémon Centre. After a deep breath of fresh Hoenn air, Kate smiled as the wind pushed her long hair back. Her black-brown eyes gleamed bright against the warm afternoon sun. The battle took her whole morning, and great Arceus she was exhausted!

Flygon cooed again, earning the attention of his trainer.

"What's up?" the twelve year old asked softly as they flew past rows of houses before the familiar red roof of the Pokémon Centre came to view. They had been staying in Sootopolis City for about a week, renting a room at the Pokémon Centre the whole time.

Flygon cried its name before taking off, flying higher and higher with each minute. By the time Sootopolis City was far below them, Flygon slowly stopped and tilted his head towards his trainer, tossing his green head at a far-off speck in the horizon of the sea.

His trainer smiled, running her gloved hand down Flygon's scales. "We'll head back soon, after we make a pit-stop by Lilycove City's department store. Hopefully we'll make it back by the end of this week. Now come on, to the Pokémon Centre, that battle took a lot out of you guys."

Flygon made this sound that the girl had deemed a version of a snort.

A laugh rose from her lips, shaking her head slightly, she gently nudged Flygon's side with the heel of her sneakers. Flygon made another sound before descending back into the city, making sure it was carefully to avoid tipping over his trainer of five years. When they landed by the entrance of the Pokémon Centre, she slid off the Mystic Pokémon and pulled out his PokéBall.

"In you go, boy. I'll have Nurse Joy send you guys up to me later, alright?"

Flygon cooed, giving one last affectionate nudge to his trainer's cheeks, he returned to the Ultra Ball.

Clipping the Ultra Ball back onto her belt on her shorts, the girl strode past the glass sliding doors of the Pokémon Centre towards the counter. Giving Nurse Joy a small smile and a nod, she placed her PokéBalls on one of the trays and wrote "Kate –room 18" before one of the helping Chanseys took the tray to the backroom for treatment.

When the doors behind the Egg Pokémon, Kate quickly made her way out of the main lobby towards the stairs and to her room.

All of the Pokémon Centre's looked about the same, including the rooms which would be different depending on the number of people staying in the room. As always, Kate took the single bedroom which consisted of a super-single sized bed, a desk and a chair, and a washroom.

Deciding to pack up her belongings before departing for Lilycove tomorrow, Kate grabbed her black and grey checkered backpack and began arranging its contents. There wasn't much to pack to begin with. Her bag consisted of her HM/TM case, items (PokéBalls case), berries/medicine case, her water bottle, some food, some clothing, and more miscellaneous items.

Once she was satisfied, she eyed the time on her Pokétch. 3:35p.m., just enough time to spare for a quick nap before the rest of her activities. Kicking off her shoes and socks, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"The S.S. Aquarius is now boarding. Passengers, please make your way to the stairs." The announcement blared all over Lilycove City's port.<p>

Kate stood up from the bench with Roselia following her act. Throwing on her dark purple jacket over her grey tee, she grabbed her bag and slung it across her head before walking towards the metal staircase that led aboard the sleek ferry.

"Come on, Ro, just a ferry ride away from home." Kate grinned. "It'll be great to see the rest of the team again, don't you think?"

Ro said nothing, but the smile on its face said otherwise.

As they made their way to their rooms and dumped their –or Kate's belonging- onto the bed, they decided to take a stroll on the upper deck. The ferry they had boarded was a Corona Region ferry, one of the ferries from the southeastern port, Capella Town.

Corona was located northeast of Hoenn and south of Johto, so the travelling distance wasn't too far. Going by ferry took a whole day while flying continuously at a Dragonite's speed would take at least fourteen hours. There were five main towns in Corona, with the capital being Diadem City, a more peaceful version of Crown City in Sinnoh. Surrounding the fairly small region were small islands, forming a sort of arch around the region. Corona didn't have any sort of Pokémon Gyms, so trainers from there would often travel to other regions to participate in the Pokémon League.

The sky was cloudless, proving to be a fine day for returning home as Kate and her first ever Pokémon leaned against the railing of the S.S. Aquarius, enjoying the soft caress of the salty sea breeze against their faces.

"I wonder how far we'll get into the Hoenn League, Ro." Kate absentmindedly said, her gaze fixated on the horizon that parted the sea and sky; the conquered and unconquerable. "We managed to get the Top 18 for the Sinnoh League, plus with the new training strategy we've been doing, I'm confident that we'll breeze past the preliminaries."

Ro made a sound of agreement, and shot her trainer a soothing smile to calm her trainer's nerves.

Kate smiled, happy to have a great friend and partner for her journeys throughout the regions. She remember when she first got Ro as an egg from which her mother gave her as a birthday present; a fond memory that was tattooed onto her mind.

Leaving the region of Hoenn behind them till the Hoenn League in five months, trainer and Pokémon blissfully welcomed the feeling of being home again in the May sea breeze.

* * *

><p>That was the last happy memory she had deeply clung onto before things changed- for better for worse, she hadn't figured it out yet.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Pummelo Stadium, Pummelo Island, Orange Islands.<strong>

**25th September X411.**

The stadium was silent; the few spectators that consisted of the Orange Crew and their apprentices were awe struck at the scene in front of them. The referee stood at the middle of the sidelines, his eyes darting back and forth between the two battlers, both radiating out their full potential as Pokémon Trainers.

"Dragonite, Ice Beam!" Drake roared, his fists clenching from adrenaline.

Dragonite flapped his wings once, pushing himself off the ground of the battlefield as it mustered its last strength for the possible final attack. It opened its mouth, charging up a blue beam that Drake hoped would bring an end to this long battle.

"It's all of nothing," Grotle's trainer closed her eyes and muttered to herself, but in the hearing range of the Grass type. "Cage it with Stone Edge!" She commanded softly, but that was all Alpha needed to hear.

As Dragonite was about to commence the attack, a few large roots shot out from the ground and grabbed onto the Dragon Pokémon, startling it in the process and making it lose focus on its Ice Beam attack. Drake gasped, his eyes quickly looking past the field to his opponent who remained a neutral look but this time, a small smile curled by her lips. His eyes shifted to the Grotle in front of his opponent and all he saw were the blue rings forming around the Pokémon.

"Dragonite, shake it off, hurry!" Drake yelled, alerting his Dragonite of the danger occurring ahead.

Dragonite tried- it really did, and Drake could see it, but it was a lost cause. The roots were thick and had a great grasp of the Dragon/Flying type, making it near impossible to release its hold within such a small amount of time.

"Now, Alpha!" The girl commanded across the field.

The gray stones shot towards the immobile Pokémon with sheer speed, piercing the air before them towards Dragonite. The pseudo-legendary Pokémon was struggling against the binds, its attempt futile as Stone Edge made its impact.

Dust and smoke concealed the outcome of the attack on Dragonite. Drake was doing his best to not run out onto the field, his eyes frantically looking into the smoke for any signs of his Dragonite still fighting for this battle. Directly across him, the Grotle looked like it too, was on the verge of collapsing, courtesy to the attacks that Dragonite managed to land on at the start of the battle. Grotle's trainer, Drake's opponent, stood there, her eyes as alert as his own.

"Dragonite!" Drake called out.

A dark shadow appeared within the smoke, and all of the sudden, the smoke blew out towards the sidelines with a mighty flap of Dragonite's wings.

He was still standing.

Drake removed his arm from the front of his face, a stupid grin etched on his face as he watched his long time partner struggle to be the last one standing. Dragonite glared at Alpha, the latter mimicking the former's actions. Both Pokémon were exhausted to their limits, and only time could tell who would be the last one standing.

Drake glanced to the girl; her black top and her maroon shorts were dusty from all the smoke coming from the attacks of their Pokémon, her black boots were dirty from her travelling. Her hair was in a side braid, a few stray strands of raven hair framing her face- bringing out her dark chocolate eyes, calculating and serious.

There came a grunt from the battlefield- and a crash, signaling the end of the battle.

* * *

><p><strong>Stadium A, Ever Grande Conference, Ever Grande City, Hoenn.<strong>

**31st October X011.**

"Ladies, gentlemen, children of all ages! Welcome to the final battle for this year's Ever Grande Conference!"

Cheers erupted from the spectators at the stadium, each anticipating the grand event. "Today, we will witness the battle between our finalists- and here they come! Ritchie Hiroshi of Kanto and Kate Arête of Eridanous!"

Henry heard Christopher mumble something about loud crowds as they were herded to a small room in the building. Jake had arrived last night from Fiore while he and the rest of the Arete's had come in at different timing for Scott to give them the news. To say that they were surprised is the understatement of the year.

They heard the announcement when they had just stepped into the VVIP spectators box, courtesy of Scott and Champion Steven Stone, who had generously invited them to view the match from there. To say the arrival of the five Arête's shocked the Hoenn Gym Leaders and Elite Four was a complete understatement. Wattson had almost dropped the champagne glass he was drinking from while Flannery blushed a deep red, earning smirks from her fellow female friends.

The place was the prime seat anyone would kill to get, especially for a match this big. The area was large with couches and a snack table at the side, a glass window providing the perfect view of the battlefield. There were screens on the side, showing close up shots of the competitors.

Emotions were washing over Henry like a tidal wave- happiness, anger, sympathy- all towards the girl on the screen. He was trying hard to control himself, and he could see that his brothers and cousins were doing the same too.

Kate, sweet little Katie, after disappearing for five months with only a note saying 'I need time alone, don't look for me.' Was now standing tall right in the finals of the Ever Grande Conference. It almost caused the house to crumble to the ground, but everyone knew of her reason.

It was a damn good reason.

A small smile graced the Sinnoh Champion's lips, "I'm looking forward to see how this will end."

* * *

><p>"Your sister sure knows how to pull off quick moves. When I battled her, she kept me on my feet throughout the battle with all her sudden strategies. But somehow, it seems like she managed to strengthen her skills even more in the period before the conference." Winona commented towards the fifteen year old Pokémon Ranger beside her, earning murmurs of agreement from the rest of the Hoenn Gym leaders. Henry smiled dryly in response.<p>

"We second what Winona said," Tate chirped in, "Kate seems sharper-" Liza continued, "-and more alert than ever!" the Gym Leaders of Mossdeep City finished.

"Both Cyndaquil and Butterfree are unable to battle." The referee declared as the Pokémon fell.

"A double knockout! It's been a close match folks- both Trainers are down to two Pokémon- Ritchie has released Swellow, Kate has sent out a Flygon! How about it folks, let's see how things will work out for our finalists!" The announcer's voice boomed over the arena.

"Ah, I've been waiting to see her use her Flygon again." Juan commented lightly, standing from his seat towards the glass window.

"Why is that so, Master?" Wallace asked, his gaze not leaving the battle. Everyone else in the room perked up at the comment of the accomplished Coordinator, leaning forward to hear what he had to say about the Mystic Pokémon.

"From how she had been battling so far, I'm rather intrigued by how much she's been training. Her Flygon had left a deep impression when I had battled it. Enough words, just watch,"

The referee ordered the battle to begin.

Kate exhaled slowly, her lips moving quickly to call out her attack. With each beat of Flygon's wings, a tornado of sand sprung from the ground, whipping up a massive sandstorm. Another cue from Kate and Flygon had rushed into the attack, disappearing from sight.

"She definitely knows how to use her Flygon's abilities to the max." Norman commented, pausing suddenly as he furrowed his brows.

"What's on your mind, Norman?" Flannery asked, tearing her eyes away from the screen.

"Why didn't she use her Flygon when she was up against Charizard? With her current strategy, it would've hindered Charizard's movements just as much as it's hindering Swellow's movements. True, her Roselia and Riolu did the job when that boy switched out for his Pupitar, but it would've been an easy win if she used Flygon instead."

Henry glanced towards his cousins, gauging their reactions. Christopher, the eighteen year old Assistant Pokémon Researcher, had kept his expression neutral, but a furrow had crept towards his brows. On the other hand, Jake hadn't moved much from his spot by the wall, his eyes fixated on the battle.

It took less than a minute for Flygon to emerge the victor against Swellow, the poor thing didn't have a chance.

The camera zoomed to Kate, she mouthed something and the Sandstorm attack subsided. Flygon was flying a little off the ground as before, not a scratch on its body. On the opposite end of the field, Ritchie seemed dumbstruck at the swift defeat before sending out his final Pokémon- his Charizard.

"What a quick battle! It seems that Kate has evened out the playing field with her Flygon. Ritchie's Charizard emerges on the field once more folks- will he be able to make his comeback?"

On the field, Flygon had turned its head to Kate just slightly and Kate gave it a small smile of thanks. Retrieving its Ultra Ball, she recalled her loyal companion. The camera zoomed in on Ritchie's confused face before going back to Kate, who had plucked a PokéBall off its clip from its necklace.

Her fingers wrapped around the PokéBall as she closed her eyes and whispered something quickly. When her eyes fluttered open, a smirk was on her face. From the device, a burst of light appeared, and emerging from it was a Grotle.

"What a turn of events! Kate has switched her Flygon out for her Grotle, what could she be planning?" The announcer's voice boomed over the roar of the audience.

Both Pokémon stood unmoving, eyeing each other to seize up the competition.

"Why did she make the switch? Grotle is at a complete type disadvantage against Charizard, Flygon would've stood a chance!" Roxanne gasped, her question spreading amongst the elite trainers in the room.

Jake collapsed onto the nearby couch, running a hand through his raven locks as he sighed. "Alpha's her first ever Pokémon. As dumb as it is, she probably wants to win this with him."

"Even if it puts her in a major type disadvantage?" Steven Stone murmured, earning a grave nod from the sixteen year old.

"If she wins this, she'll be the most talked about throughout the regions," Scott marveled. "It'll be a very lasting impression."

Seconds ticked by, and finally, the trainers called for the attack.


End file.
